Tag Archives: marriage

Someone sent me an email, asking if a marriage is rendered void when the spouse undergoes gender reassignment surgery, also called sex-change operation. The question reads: “If a man and a woman marry in the Philippines and the man later undergoes gender reassignment, is the marriage automatically void? I have been unable to find specific information and would very much appreciate your help.” Continue reading →

The death of either spouse dissolves the marital bond (same effect with annulment or declaration of nullity). This simply means that, subject to compliance with certain requirements, the husband or the wife is free to marry again. There is no legal obstacle for remarriage (and we’ve heard of a plot or two involving a spouse who wants to kill the other spouse so he/she can marry another person). Men may remarry right away. Women, on the other hand, must wait for 301 days or, if pregnant at the time of the husband’s death, must wait until childbirth, before they can remarry. Continue reading →

A warning: this article requires parental guidance. Children and minors, stop reading. The query goes like this: “Atty, kasal po ako pero in 2 months nagpasya kaming maghiwalay kasi di me satisfy sa kanya at dipa sia manganganak.” I really have to retain the gist of that query, even if I have to make slight changes on how it is worded. The issue is this: if the wife cannot conceive (or, conversely, if the husband is infertile) and the spouses cannot have children, is this enough ground for annulment? The related issue: if a spouse is not sexually satisfied with his/her partner, is this a ground for annulment? Continue reading →

There’s a common issue relating to annulment and whether it’s enough ground when the other spouse has started a new family. It usually runs like this: I am married and we have separated years ago (some say they have no kids, some say with kids) and my spouse has started his/her own family (some say there are kids in the “other” family, some say no kids yet). Is the fact that the spouse has a new family sufficient to support a petition for annulment? Continue reading →

“Can money, family, friends issues in our marriage be filed for annulment? I’ve been married for 2 years but a lot of issues has completely destroyed our marriage and i want to file an annulment. I am currently living abroad.” (We will feature certain comments so we save time when addressing related concerns. No legal advice, only legal information. See discussion below.) Continue reading →

“My BF contracted into marriage to a girl who did not disclose that she is already married. The documents that the girl filed were all fake when they get married. His problem was that in his NSO it appeared that he is married to the girl. How can he make himself single again in the public documents. Whenever he apply for abroad he found to be married in the legal documents and also, we are planning to marry. Please help us. Thank you and more power to you!” (This query is highlighted so we don’t have to address each and every related question. No legal advice, only general information found below.) Continue reading →

Pope Francis, in all his holiness, is not immune from the temptation to be funny. Here’s the video of Pope Francis and his mother-in-law jokes.

Incidentally, in a petition for declaration of nullity of marriage which we actively opposed on behalf of the wife, the trial court noted that the problem is not between the husband and the wife, but between the mother-in-law and the wife. The Court of Appeals affirmed the denial of the petition, stating in its recent resolution that, “Marriage is far too sacred an institution to be set aside merely because one cannot get along with his or her in-laws.” On the other hand, to be fair, a lot of us are truly thankful for our heaven-sent mother-in-law.

There’s a spike in google searches concerning “annulment philippines 2014.” Sure, we have a lot of discussion on annulment, declaration of nullity and legal separation — all intended to be helpful discussions. It has become harder to follow each discussion thread and so I am constrained to pour limited time with the more “interesting” topics and queries. Continue reading →

As Philippine laws currently stand, the death of either spouse dissolves the marital bond (same effect with annulment or declaration of nullity). This simply means that, subject to compliance with certain requirements, the husband or the wife is free to marry again. There is no legal obstacle for remarriage (and we’ve heard of a plot or two involving a spouse who wants to kill the other spouse so he/she can marry another person). Men may remarry right away. Women, on the other hand, must wait for 301 days or, if pregnant at the time of the husband’s death, must wait until childbirth. [Update: Premature Marriage No Longer a Crime]